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1. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in September 2005 indicating that 55,000 people were officially registered as unemployed in Azerbaijan in March 2004. According to a labour force survey undertaken with technical assistance from UNDP and the ILO, 404,700 people were without work and actively seeking employment in June 2003, which translates into an unemployment rate of 10.7 per cent. The Government reports that among other targeted measures adopted (infrastructure development, land distribution, grant assistance and micro-credit facilities), a special programme was launched in February 2004 to promote employment among displaced populations. Recognizing the difficult circumstances arising from the displacement of an important number of people, the Committee notes from the Government’s 2003 Annual Progress Report (APR) for its State Programme on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development (SPPRED), that a new initiative on social and economic development was prepared for 2004-08 with the goal of creating 600,000 new non-oil sector jobs. It also notes that a new national employment policy is under consideration by relevant ministers and departments with help from the ILO. The Committee therefore asks the Government to indicate in its next report the progress made towards creating new jobs. It also requests information on the progress made in adopting and implementing the new national employment policy, as well as the employment promotion outcomes of the National Programme for Regional Socio-Economic Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2004-08 (Article 1 of the Convention).

2. Regions with high levels of unemployment. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that in some regions of the country the levels of unemployment are significantly higher than the national average (Bard, Mingetchevir and Naftalan). Unemployment is higher still among refugees and displaced populations predominantly in Kelbadjar, Khodjali, Agdam and Latchin. The Government indicates that it has begun work to create new jobs, promote self-employment and stimulate entrepreneurship across the regions. Similarly, the Committee notes from the APR that in 2003 the Government prepared comprehensive regional development plans for the Guba-Gusar-Khachmaz (northern) and the Astara (southern) regions. The Committee asks the Government to communicate detailed information on the measures adopted through the above initiatives and the impact they have had in promoting productive employment and reducing labour market imbalances throughout the country.

3. Labour market policies and employment services. The Committee recalls from its previous comments that the Government was considering a draft law on voluntary unemployment insurance and additional measures for older workers affected by enterprise downsizing. It also notes from the Government’s report that the State Employment Fund was abolished and that, as of January 2002, employment policies have been financed through the State Fund for Social Protection. With regard to employment services, the Government reports that, between 2002 and the first quarter of 2004, the national employment service helped 40,000 individuals find work, in part through job fairs and markets held throughout the country. According to the APR, however, the low level of unemployed people registered with the employment service (50,963 in 2002) relative to the number of unemployed people in the country (some 400,000 according to the 2003 labour force survey) suggests that there is little incentive to register either because of the level of benefits or because of a lack of employment service assistance for finding work. In this context, the Committee asks the Government to indicate in its next report how it intends to strengthen the inclusiveness and effectiveness of its employment services to assist greater numbers of unemployed people reintegrate into the labour market. Please also provide information on the status of the proposed voluntary unemployment insurance legislation. Furthermore, the Committee draws the Government’s attention to its 2005 comments on the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88).

4. Particular categories of workers. The Committee notes that in 2003, 69.1 per cent of unemployed workers in Azerbaijan were under the age of 35, with the highest rate of unemployment among those between the ages of 20 and 24 (23.8 per cent). The Government indicates, however, that its employment services are particularly attentive to the employment problems of young workers and that 80 per cent of all unemployed people who took part in vocational training, and 60 per cent of individuals who found work, were young people under the age of 35. The Committee further notes that in 2003, the rate of unemployment among economically active men was 9.6 per cent in 2003, compared with 12.2 per cent among economically active women. In light of these figures, the Committee asks the Government to provide information in its next report on the measures taken and their impact in assisting vulnerable categories of workers, including women, young people, older workers and workers with disabilities. In this regard, please refer to the Committee’s 2005 comments on the application of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159).

5. Collection and use of employment data. The Committee notes with interest the Government’s efforts to improve the systematic collection of labour market data, especially through the completion in 2003 of a labour force survey by the National Statistics Agency in collaboration with the ILO. It notes from the APR that evaluating employment trends has been complicated in Azerbaijan by the fact that regular labour force surveys have not been carried out. However, the Government intends to prepare a regular analysis of the country’s unemployment situation and to institutionalize a labour force survey. The Committee therefore asks the Government to indicate in its next report what steps have been taken to regularly collect and analyse disaggregated data on the size and distribution of the labour force in both the formal and informal economy, and on the extent of unemployment and underemployment. Please also indicate what further action has been taken as a result of the technical assistance provided by the ILO (Article 2).

6. Participation of social partners in the formulation and implementation of policies. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the employment strategy currently in preparation states that the development of social dialogue is a priority of the national employment policy. It also notes that since 2001, a General Collective Agreement has been in place to coordinate the working relationship between the Government and the social partners for elaborating and implementing the national employment policy. The Committee asks the Government to provide specific information in its next report on the social partners’ involvement in and contribution to the preparation and implementation of the proposed employment policy. Please also indicate the extent to which other segments of the economically active population are consulted, including those working in the rural sector and the informal economy (Article 3).